David’s head came up. “Would you excuse me,” he muttered, sending a quick hand to fiddle with his glasses. “I haven’t said hello to Ceri and Keasley yet.”

I chuckled, and Kisten pulled me closer. “You do that, Mr. Peabody,” Kisten said.

The short Were jerked to a stop, gave him a warning frown, then continued, stopping to get a glass of his wine on the way.

My smile slowly faded. The scent of leather became obvious, mixing with the hard aroma of burning ash, and I snuggled closer into Kisten. “Hey,” I said softly, my gaze fixed on the fire. “David wants me to sign a paper. Make me part of his pack.”

His breath caught. “You’re kidding,” he said, pushing me away so he could focus on me. His blue eyes were wide and his face surprised and wondering.

Looking at my cold fingers, I slipped them into his. “I’d like you to witness it.”

“Oh.” His gaze went to the fire and he shifted his arm to lean a smidgen away.

I grinned in understanding and laughed. “No, you idiot,” I said, pushing on his arm. “It’s a pack membership, not an interspecies bond. I’m not marrying the guy, for the Turn’s sake. It’s only a legal agreement so I can get my insurance through him and his company won’t fire him. He’d ask a Were woman, but he doesn’t want a pack, and that’s what he’d get if he asked one.”

Kisten exhaled long and slow, and I could feel the softness return to his grip. “Good,” he said, pulling me closer. “ ’Cause you’re my alpha bitch, babe, and no one else’s.”

I gave him a telling look, which was hard to do seeing as I was almost in his lap. “Babe?” I said dryly. “You know what I did to the last guy who called me that?”

Kisten jerked me closer. “Maybe later, love,” he whispered to start a delicious tingle in me. “We don’t want to shock your friends,” he added, and I followed his gaze to where Howard and Keasley were laughing while Ceri tried to eat her s’more without getting messy.

“Will you witness the paper for me?” I asked.

“Sure.” His grip around me tightened. “I think making ties is a good thing.” His arm slipped from me, and I followed his gaze to see Ivy glaring at us. “Ivy might not, though.”

Suddenly concerned, I pulled away. Ivy got to her feet, and with steps quick and long, she strode up the porch steps and into the church. The back door shut hard enough to make the wreath fall off.

Not noticing, Erica sprang into a flurry of motion to move a bench closer to the fire. The conversation grew excited, and Keasley and Ceri drifted over when Takata finally pulled out the guitar he brought with him but had been ignoring. He settled himself, long fingers moving slowly from the cold as he strummed. It was nice. Really nice. The only thing missing was Jenks’s wiseass remarks and a sprinkling of pixy dust.